Baby bonus bad for environment (OCT)

23 October 2006

Media Releases 2006

The Federal Government’s baby bonus is encouraging an increased birth rate, which will put

more pressure on Australia’s and the world’s already overstressed environment.

Recent figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed 265,000 babies were born in

Australia last year, the highest number since 1971 and an increase of 15,000 from the

previous year. Such an unhelpful increase in births is made worse through the Howard

Government’s $4,000 baby bonus.

The Government’s push to lift the birth rate is bad policy, particularly on environmental

grounds.

Australia is the driest inhabited country on Earth and every mainland capital city is

experiencing water shortages. Each extra person added to the population increases the demand

for water at a time when there is not enough to supply the existing population.

Increasing the population also adds to the problem of global warming. Australia has the

highest per capita emissions of greenhouse gases in the world, so a rise in the birth rate

increases greenhouse gas emissions and hence global warming.

Sustainable Population Australia urges both the Government and individuals to consider the

effect on the environment of bringing more people into the world. A person’s decision to

remain childless is morally justifiable on the grounds of conserving the environment.

END

CONTACT:

Dr Ian Macindoe, National President, Sustainable Population Australia Inc.

Phone: (02) 9639 4654; Mob: 0403 898 490

Email: president@population.org.au

Website: population.org.au

Ms Sheila Newman, National Vice-President, Sustainable Population Australia Inc.

Phone: (03) 9783 5047

Mr Gordon Hocking, National Secretary, Sustainable Population Australia Inc.

Phone: (02) 9528 6091.

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